Jens David Ohlin has been appointed to a second term as the Allan R. Tessler Dean of Cornell Law School, effective July 1.
The Executive Committee of the Cornell Board of Trustees voted March 9 to approve the new term for Ohlin, who has been dean since 2021 and a faculty member of the Law School since 2008.
“Jens stepped into the role of dean during a challenging time for Cornell and higher education in general, and has guided the Law School with calm and a bold vision for the future,” Provost Kavita Bala said. “His long tenure and experience at the school have served him well in his leadership position. The Law School has flourished, and will continue to do so, with Jens at the helm.”
“I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot in the last five years,” said Ohlin, whose scholarly work spans criminal law, criminal procedure, public international law, and the laws of war. “But in another sense, I feel like we’re just getting started. So, I’m really, really happy, honored, and humbled to have another term.”
Ohlin’s achievements as dean include the revitalization of the Loan Repayment Assis-tance Program, which offers loan forgiveness for law graduates in public service jobs. In 2024, the Law School increased the salary cap for full reimbursement for federal loans from $80,000 to $120,000.
His long tenure and experience at the school have served him well in his leadership position. The Law School has flourished, and will continue to do so, with Jens at the helm.
Kavita Bala, Cornell University Provost
“I think that’s a game changer,” he said. “We went from having a program that was a good idea but had long since lost its utility to a new program that is leading the way across the nation. I’d say it’s the most impactful loan-repayment program amongst any of the law schools in the country.”
Under Ohlin’s leadership, the Law School announced the creation of the Blassberg-Rice Center for Entrepreneurship Law in 2023, made possible by a gift from Franci J. Blassberg ’75, J.D. ’77, and Joseph L. Rice III. The center broadened the work of the Entrepreneur-ship Law Clinic, giving law students the opportunity to work with clients in New York City for the first time.
“I’m really pleased to see that entrepreneurship law ecosystem flourish. That’s really exciting and brings us closer to Cornell Tech,” Ohlin said. “It’s another bridge to Roosevelt Island, and it’s producing some real synergies already.”
Ohlin also oversaw new faculty hires in environmental law and an increase in the number of courses in that area; and the launch of a yearlong, one-credit professional development course, designed to “give professionalism and soft-skills training to our students, to ensure that they succeed in the marketplace and in their careers ten years down the road, to help them become leaders,” he said.
Looking ahead, Ohlin is excited about new universitywide efforts to support and advance democracy, as well as opportunities to extend the reach of the Law School’s clinical programs.
“We’ll strive to maintain excellence in several key areas, including immigration, First Amendment, entrepreneurship, and the death penalty,” he said.
